Continued Thoughts on Surrender

S. "Whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus" Philippians 3:7-14 (NIV)

O. The apostle Paul talks about one of the most important aspects of our growth as a disciple of Jesus Christ. It involves surrendering my life and my ambitions for the sake of knowing Jesus Christ. There should be nothing more important in my life than my relationship with Jesus Christ. I must make my relationship with God a priority in my life daily. With our relationship with God in line, then the other areas of my life will begin to be aligned with God's plan and will. This is all about growing in spiritual maturity. And in this life, I will never attain to the pinnacle of spiritual maturity, that will only happen when I will one day be face to face with Jesus. But in this life, I must never stop working toward becoming more like Jesus Christ daily.

A. Knowing that my personality is one that likes to be in control, surrendering areas of my life is one of the most difficult things that I do as a Christian. But at this time in my life, there are some areas that I really need to turn over to the Lord. It will take all of my concentration, mental and emotional energy, but I am determined!

P. "Lord, I give you my life and ask for the strength and determination to become a person of surrender" Amen